Re: interactive interface to supply variables

[Juanma Barranquero <lekktu@gmail.com>]

> (symbol-name 'test-var)       ; "test-var" (both correct)

This is irrelevant: (symbol-name 'my-var) => "my-var" even if no
(defvar my-var X) was ever used.

> How does `describe-variable' do that? (Perhaps I should
> just copy their interface, because they also suggest
> the variable at point as default. But that's step two.)

  custom-variable-p is a compiled Lisp function in `custom.el'.

  Return non-nil if variable is a customizable variable.
  A customizable variable is either (i) a variable whose property
  list contains a non-nil `standard-value' or `custom-autoload'
  property, or (ii) an alias for another customizable variable.

So:

  (defvar test-var 1)
  (put 'test-var 'standard-value t)

   J